What Three Words app helps rescue teams locate two girls cut off by the tide at Talacre Beach

Rescue teams from Flint and Rhyl were scrambled on New Years Day following reports that two people had become cut off by the tide somewhere on Talacre Beach.

Rhyl Lifeboats were launched just after 5.30pm to assist North Wales Police and Coastguard teams from Rhyl and Flint searching for the two girls.

The two reported their position to police using the ‘’what three words” app on their phones.

The app pinpoints the smartphone user and gives a unique three word identifier for the location.

A caller to the 999 service can simply tell the control operator the three-word location and this is loaded into a website that shows with a high degree of accuracy their location.

The lifeboat crews used onboard searchlights to illuminate the shoreline between Presthaven Sands camp and the lighthouse.

The two were spotted and escorted safely back to Talacre.

A spokesperson for Rhyl RNLI said: “First service of the year for Rhyl Coastguard Rescue Team and RNLI Rhyl at Talacre.”

“The lifeboats launched at 5.38pm on New Year’s Day, to assist local coastguards and police officers searching for two females.

The two had reported their position to the police using the ‘’what three words” app on their phones.

This gave searchers a more accurate area to locate the girls.

The lifeboats were requested to do a shoreline search using their searchlights between Presthaven Sands camp and Talacre lighthouse.

The girls were fairly quickly spotted by both search teams on land and sea, and were escorted back to safety at Talacre.

Coxswain Martin Jones of Rhyl RNLI said “The information derived from the app allowed rescuers to concentrate better on a small search area.”

“Luckily, the girls were located on a patch of beach where the tide had not yet reached them”

A spokesperson for Flint Coastgiard said the team were asked “along with Rhyl Coastguard Rescue Team to reports of person’s cut off by tide somewhere on Talacre beach.”

“Search teams deployed and casualties located by members of Rhyl CRT safe.”